Vehicle towing device



May 5, 1931. J. J. HERLBAUER ET AL 1,803,389

VEHICLE TWING DEVICE Filed Feb. l0, 1928 C/harlei ZM" (QQML, ATTORNEY Patented May 5, 1931` y UNITEnsTATEs l,PATlsiN"r AoFFI'Cill`v l vJOSEPH J. HERLBAUER., or ri'oLLis, AND CHARLES GULOTTA, or NEW nomi, N. Y.

VEHICLE 'rowING DEVICE Applicatbn filedFebruary4 10 1928i..` ySerial No. 253,380.

. Our present invention relates Vto an im-v provement in vmeans for towing vehicles, and is more especially adapted `for .use in towing one automobile by another, in an emergency, where there has' been a breakdown of one of said vehicles. Y

One of themain advantagesof my device is the utilization of an easily storable, flexible steel'band of suitable widthjand thickness which is rollablev into a small `and compact package for carrying in the tool or other spare space of an automobile. Another advantage of our construction is in the provision of further means whereby l5 a towing loop' or hitchfmayb'e readily made between the twoV vehicles, ,such as, for finstance, the rear end` of a towing vehicle and the front end of the vehicle being towed, in a rapid fashion, and with ease. 1 p. Another advantageof our. device. isgthe provision of` means whereby towing. attach'- .Inent to such vehicles may bemade in theV form of a single vorl plural loops for short or long towing connection, respectively, bctween the vehicles, as may beA desired. f

Another advantage isthe provision of a simple easily operatedtowing pband`latching means whereby the towing vband may `be readily llocked' intoV the desired `towing 80'loop for loops, and whereby the strainsgof towing tend to keep the latchingrineans in locked engagementwith the loop ormed'on the band, such engagement beingfpreferably in, the form of a slip noose or hitch, as will beL more fullyV explained hereinafter.4 4

In the drawings:

Fig. l is plan view 4of my device rolled in compact form for easyvstorageand car` rying, and in practice it is.intended/that` the device will' be slipped in tda suitable canvas carrying case or the` like. y N .g Fig. 2'is a fragmentaryzplan view showing thejformation of towing loops at both ends or the band, for a long towing connection, the band being shown broken at the middle for convenience in showing.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the formation of a single closed loop for a short con-V nection.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the band engag-fA ing lock-latch means, enlarged, showing the latch means partly open.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the latch means closed. Y Fig. 6` is a` rear elevation of the latch means showing the band end wound thereabout for permanently aliixing the latch thereto. ig. 7 is a sectional view of the latch taken von the line *Tf-7, Fig. 6 lookingin the direc` tion of the arrow. @In our present device ywe propose to utilize, as aj-towing element, a fiat metallic band about 'A one inch wide and aboutAone-thirty second of Yan inch thick although these dimensionsmay vary, and of a tough metal which is substan `tially fleXible,-but not elastic, it being of such proportion as may be readily rolled into a tight bundle when it isnot in use and stored. V.A paclredloop of this type is disclosed in Fig. il," wherein the metal ,band l is shown rolled in a small comp act bundle and being. provided ing joined for greater' strength and against V collapseby a pin 7, introduced through `both legs .of-the U-shaped portion, andbeing riveted over, as at 6 6.

The oppositel end of the base portionll, as

f at 8islat and unbent, and mounts thereon a shouldered stud 9, the lower reduced end ci which is riveted to the end 8, the upper re- Fig.' 4 being swingable about said point ll, as ,indicated by the arrows 12. The latch plate 10`is further provided. with apart circular slot 13 which passes under the short upper leg of the U-shaped end 4 of the` latch base `5, yen- 'gages'the pin-7 and acts as a ylocking means therewith when the latch isv inoperative position to 'form the towing loops lll-414, Fig-2. f lj v As ameans'for rigidly and permanently ateafch of its'ends with the latch means 2 andV I duced end of which is pivotally riveted to a flat, metallic, substantially rectangular latch l plate 10 as at ll, said latch plate, as shown in ica fixing the metallic towing strap 1 to the latches in operative position, the metal strap 1 is cut square at its ends and then tightly wound about the base portion l of the latch into several convolutions 15, as indicated by the sec-tional view, Fig. 7. Due to the rectangular shape of the said base Il and the tightly wound Contact of the towing strap 1 therewith, we have found that this is all that is necessary to permanently attix the latching means to the band 1 at either end. As a consequence ot this construction any towing strains put thereon tend to cause the strap 1 to more tightly engage the base portion 4 without any tendency to pull away therefrom.

In utilizing the device, the latch plate 10 is swungI in the direction oit the arrows 12, Fig. Ll, substantially at right angles to the latch proper and that portion ot the band l in which it is desired to form the loops 14, is laid into the open lock and then the latch plate 10 closed thereover, as indicated at Fig. 5, thus forming the desired loops about any portion of the vehicle to be towed, and as'may be desired and convenient.

Then both vehicles are connected together by two slip loops ila- 14, as just described, the band is then in condition to act as a towing means between the two vehicles and the strain ot towing causes the two loops to become drawn tightly together, iirmly engaging the portions of the vehicles to which they are attached. and thus the towed vehicle may be readily pulled by thetowing vehicle. This arrangement of double end loops is fully disclosed in Fig. 2, and naturally, permits the vehicles to be separated by a considerable distance.

It sometimes happens that itis desirable to make a single, short towing line of the device, such as where it is desirable to engage some part of the towing vehicle and to possibly hook a short tow line to the hub of the vehicle to be towed, in which event, as is shown in Fig. 3, a single loop may be made by the act of engaging both ends of the towing strap into one latch member, leaving the other latch member inoperative, except to act as a means 'for preventing the towing band trom slipping through and disengage from the operating latch. In Fig. 3, where this form of loop is shown, the operating latch in actual engagement with the strap is shown at B, and the inoperative latch acting as a means for preventing the pulling out of the other end is shown at A.

It is further to be noted that in the means of engaging, as above described, when loops 14 are formed as in Fig. 2, the towing strains incurred in the band l create a reaction pressure against the pivoted latch plate 1G as indicated by the arrow C, Fig, 5, thereby' tending to keep the latch plate closed against the Stop pin 7, thus' preventing either one f the latches from accidentally opening during the operation of the device. Thus the heavier the pull the tighter the latches are locked.

Thus, it will be observed that we have devised a towing device of inexpensive material, of great strength and easily packed away when not in use, and of easy application when required `for use. Modiiicat-ions may be made without departing from the scope of the herein claims and parts of the invention may be used without other parts.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A towing device comprising a latch having a base portion provided with a U-shaped end and a pivoted latch plate on the opposite end thereof, and a flexible metallic strap having one portion coiled about said base portion.

2. A towing device comprising a latch having a base portion being provided with a pivoted latch plate on the opposite end thereof` said latch plate being pivotally spaced :trom said base portion by a shouldered stud, and a flexible metallic strap having one portion coiled about saidbase portion.

3. A towing device comprising a latch having a base portion embodying a U-shaped end, a latch plate pivotally fixed to the opposite end thereof, a latch locking pin mounted on said U-shaped portion, and a flexible metallic strap having one portion coiled about said base portion.

4. A towing device comprising a latch comprising a base portion including a U-shaped end, a latch plate pivotally affixed to the opposite end thereof, a latch locking pin mounted in said U-shaped portion, said latch plate being provided with a notch for engaging said pin, and a strap having one portion coiled about said base portion.

5. The combination of a towing band ot the class described and a latch for the same, having thereon a base` a rectangular portion on said base, for winding the ends ot said band thereunto, a U-shaped member, at one end of said base, and a latch plate, pivotally connected at one end thereof to the opposite end of said base and adapted at the other end thereof to engage a part ou said member. thereby locking said latch, said plate in its locked position being disposed transversely to said band when the latter is taut.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this eighth day of February, A. D. 1928.

JOSEPH .T HERLBAUER. CHARLES GULOTTA. 

